Liquid container with drip prevention means



April 23, 1957 F. cs. PELLETT LIQUID CONTAINER WITH DRIP PREVENTION MEANS Filed Aug.

INVENTOR F. G.PELLE.TT fie? ATTORN 5 United States PatentYO? LIQUID CONTAINER WITH DRIP PREVENTION MEANS Fred G. Pellett, Maumee, Ohio, assignor to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Application August 30, 1955, Serial No. 531,550

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-571) The present invention relates to liquid containers and more particularly is an improved pouring lip designed to effect a clean cut-off of liquid upon termination of a pouring operation and thereby prevent liquid from running down over the exterior surface of the container.

Many attempts to solve this problem have been made, such involving the use of various coatings for the pouring lip; specific shaping of the rim portion and the use of attached rings or collars formed of unwettable materials. An example of the latter is disclosed in Heim Patent 2,664,230 issued December 29, 1953, titled Non- Drip Fluid Dispensing Vessel.

This patent shows an attached flat ring or annulus of unwettable material on a conventional screw threaded bottle neck, the outermost part of the ring projecting only slightly beyond the-outer wall of the neck yet almost to the crest of the screw thread. Such is highly objectionable because an insufficient area of the ring projects beyond the neck wall to be really effective in preventing drippage and flow of liquid back to and downwardly over the outside surface of the container, yet it extends far enough that it may be torn loose from the rim, incident to removal of the closure. This is apparent incident to observation that the annular ring, when flattened out as it is initially will. locate its peripheral portion, or edge, in contact with the interior of the closure cap.

An object of my invention is the provision of means to overcome the above noted objections and others and incident thereto provide means for effectively controlling liquid cut off upon termination of a pouring operation so that it is practically impossible for the liquid to find its way or bridging back to the exterior surface of the container.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a special form or contour or finish or at the rim end of the neck which, together with a ring of suitable diameter, will provide ideal pouring conditions and insure a sharp clean cut-ofi of the liquid being dispensed, incident to uprighting of the container.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a pouring and liquid cut-oil? means applicable specially to a container having a screw-threaded neck, wherein the neck adjacent the rim portion is reduced in diameter and a flat ring of unwettable material is secured to the rim, such ring having an outside diameter slightly greater than the maximum neck diameter, but such that the periphery or cut-off edge will be spaced a short distance inwardly from the crest of the screw thread. Thus, the cut-off ring will overhang the immediately adjacent portion of the botttle neck and function quite effectively in clearly cutting olf flow of the liquid and preventing the latter from finding its way back to the exterior surface of the container neck.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section, showing my invention.

2,789,740 Patented Apr. 23, 1957 Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 with the closure cap and liner removed.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the 1pouring ring attached to the special finish of a glass bott c.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modification in which a solid disc afiixed to the finish of a bottle is provided with a circular dot and dash line indicating the line of severance necessary to convert the disc into a pouring and cut-off r1ng.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the modification shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a further modification which in this instance pertains to the specific profile, or cross-sectional shape of the rim portion of the bottle neck.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I have illustrated the preferred form of my invention, such being incorporated in a package including a bottle 10 having a neck 11 formed with an external screw thread 12, the latter designed for cooperation with the thread 13 of a closure cap 14. This closure cap includes a panel 15 and may be provided with a liner or a sealing disc 16.

The neck 11, immediately above the screw threaded area is reduced in diameter an extent approximating one half of the thickness of the neck wall thereby providing a comparatively thin annular lip 17, the inner wall of which coincides with the inner surface of the neck 11, while the outer wall 18 is spaced radially inward a substantial distance from the exterior surface of the neck proper. Attached to the upper end or rim of this lip 18 by any suitable adhesive is a pouring ring or collar 19 which may be formed of paper, foil, thin plastic, or a coated paper or lamination, which, in any event, is formed of an unwettable material. Preferably this ring has an interior diameter slightly greater than the interior of the neck 11 so that there is no bafiiing or interruption of the flow of liquid from the bottle incident to tilting of the latter. The exterior edge or periphery 20 of the ring is of a diameter slightly greater than the maximum neck diameter, but somewhat less than the diameter of the crest of the screw thread 12. Thus, a ledge of substantial extent projects radially from the adjacent edge of the glass surface so that flow-back or bridging of the liquid to the glass surface is almost impossible under average pouring conditions. On the other hand, the substantial ledge formation does not necessitate such a degree of radial projection of the ring that it can contact the closure cap and possibly be torn from the rim incident to removal of the cap. It is apparent, from the foregoing, that my invention provides a highly etficient pouring and liquid cut-off device which not only positively prevents flowback of liquid onto the glass, with the creation of the resultant objectionable messy conditions, but also insures with a substantial degree of certainty against accidental separation of the pouring ring from the glass.

in Figs. 4 and 5, I have disclosed a slight modification in which the pour-out and cut-otf ring initially is a solid disc 21, adhesively secured to the bottle neck 11, as previously described and formed with a circular dot and dash line 22, indicating a line of severance for guidance of the consumer in converting the solid disc to a pour-out and cut-oil? ring. In this form, the disc 21 may well function initially as a liner for the closure, in which event the liner 16 is unnecessary.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a further modification in which the lip 17- is formed with a downwardly and inwardly tapered outer wall 18, such being intended to provide an adequate bearing surface for contact with the pouring ring 19 and enhance the efiectiveness of the annular lip in preventing flow-back of liquid from the ring 19 to the glass.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A container for liquids comprising a body having a circular neck defining a filling and dispensing opening, said neck having an external screw thread thereon, there being an unthreaded circular wall extending upwardly from and co-axial with the neck proper and terminating in a relatively fiat annular rim, said unthreaded circular wall being of lesser external diameter than, but of the same internal diameter as the neck proper and a pouring element comprising a relatively flat unwettable annular ring attached to said rim and having amaximum diameter approximately equal to the external diameter of the neck proper but less than thatof the crest of the screw thread.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, the diametrically reduced circular wall being of a radial thickness equal to approximately one-half of the width of the pouring element.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, the outer surface of the diametrically reduced circular wall being tapered downwardly from the annular rim.

4. The combination defined in claim 1, the internal diameter of the annular ring being at least equal to the internal diameter of the unthreaded circular wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

